Process of separating ores.



.- metals.

ents consist wholly or partially of ox ds-or No Drawing.

oily liquid or metallic particles of one or more metals to ALFRED ARrHuR LOOKWO0D,;4OF Loirnon, ENGLAND, nssrenon To mmnx MAGNETIC GOMPANY, LIMITED, OF

LONDON, ENGLAN D.

I PROCESS Ola" SEPARATING ORES.

intended to include a magnetic paint, (which usually consists of a mixture of magnetite with an'oily liquid,) toward the constituents of an ore, (under which term it is intended to include magnetite,) can be greatly modified by the employment of a silicate of an alkali metal. Thus the addition of such silicate before or simultaneously with an a magnetic paint allows the be magnetically prepared in preference to the metalliferous particles of another metalor metals, or enables the gangue to be oiled or magnetically prepared, with the employment of a suitable oil, to the exclusion of the metalliferous particles of one ormore Again ores whose metallic constitucarbonates are easily and cheaply oiled or preparedwith magnetite to theexclusion of thegangue by adding such silicate at some stage of the process.

As will be seen by the examples a larger quantity of silicate is required for preparing the metalliferous constituents of an oxidized ore than for hindering the magnetic preparation or oiling of one or more of the metals in an orecontaining a plurality of metalswhilea still larger quantity of silicate is required to magnetically prepare or bile gangue to the exclusion of the metal; li ferous particles. It may therefore be preferable when treating oxidized ores to add the silicate after agitation with the paint or oil when the ore to be treated contains a plurality of metals one of which is differentially'aifected by thesilicat'e. If when treating an oxidized'ore of which it is desired to magnetically prepare or oil the metalliferous particles, the distinction be-' tween this process and that of magnetically pre aring or oiling the gangue alone is not suiridiently sharply divided with any ore, it may be advisable to employ for this former purpose exclusively oils which do not easily Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed April 29, 1912. Serial No; 693,990.

with the result the lead and the silver are attracted and thus Patented Nov. 12, 1912.

coat the gangue or to add the silicate after agitation with 'the paint or oil. i

Example I: 500 lbs. of a sulfid ore in a silica zinc and 13 oz. of silver per ton are agitated for twenty minutes with silicate of soda, equivalent in amount to 20 oz. of a 5 Baum solution, 800 lbs. of water and 20 lbs. of a. magneticpaint composed of two parts by weight of reslduum oil. This charge 18 then treated in a preferably separated from the major portion of the zinc and the remaining silver.

Example II: 300 lbs. of a sulfid ore in a calcite baryta gangue containing considerable quantities of iron pyrites and assaying 13.65% lead a nd21.5% of zinc is agitated for twenty minutes with 96 oz. of at 5 aum silicate of soda solution, .480 lbs. of water and 9 lbs. of magnetic paint. After treatment in a magletic separator it will be found that the major portion of the lead is attracted and thusseparated from the zinc, gangue and iron pyrites.

Example III: 100 lbs. of a sulfid ore in a baryta angue and assa in 12 0 lead and 30% g y g (7 agitated for thirty minutes with 1.5lbs. of a preferably alkaline 5 Baum silicate of soda solution, 100 lbs. of magnetic paint. In many cases it'is necessary when it is desired to extractthe gangue to employ somesaponifiable oil or olein in the magnetic paint thus in the magnetic paint referred to in Example I 5% of the residuum oil is in the present example replaced with a saponifiable oil such as whale oil or olive oil, or olein. On treating in a magnetic separator the bar ta is extracted leaving the zinc, iron pyrites and lead as a concentrate.

In Examples I and II the zinc. sulfid is separated from the gangue and ironpyrites in any convenient manner and this may take place by'meansof a second magnetic preparation process in which case it will be found necessary first to slightly acidify the mixture of zinc sulfid and gangue. In many cases it will be found that after acidification the iron pyrites will follow the gangue and not the zinc.

In Example III the lead may afterward gangue assaying 13.7% lead, 16.35%

magnetite to one of azinc and containing iron pyrites is of water and 4% lbs.

iia

When passed through a wet magnetic separator an extraction of 86% copper was obtained. As magnetite is really an example of an oxidized ore (and is intended to be included in such term) this invention enables magnetite which has been previously wetted with water by the aid of the silicates to be easily incorporated with oil. Magnetite as recovered in present practice from the metalliferous particles to which it is attached is admixed with water and hitherto it hasbeen necessary to evaporate the oc-.

eluded water. It can now be incorporated with an oil as follows Example V: To the magnetite and water is added 1 oz. to 5 oz. of silicate of soda for every 100 lbs. of water. By adding oil and agitating a magnetic paint can be made.

In all these examples. it is to be understood that the'water employed is a neutral water. i

Although it is usual to form the magnetic paintby mixing dry magnetite with oil and such as has been described in the examples it follows from the result of Example V that when treating an ore, whethersulfid or other, it is not necessary previously to mix the magnetite with the oil, but the magnetlte while wetted with water may be agitated together with the ore. and the oil.

Example VI: lbs. of an oxid and carbonate of-copper ore in a quartzite gangue, assaying 4.2% copper, were agitated with 1% of oil made up of 3 parts mineral residuum oil and 1 part cotton seed oil, together with 3 lbs. silicate of soda in 54 lbs. water. This was then subjected to the of a mixture of 1.6 lbs.-

ordinary hot acid water flotation process, an extraction of 7 5% copper being obtained without taking into account the copper dissolved.

WVhat I claim is 1. In the treatment of an ore the process which consists in treating the ore with an oily liquid, water and with a silicate of an alkali metal .to modify the behavior of the oil toward the constituents in the ore and separating the oiled constituents from the unoiled constituents.

2. In the treatment of an ore the process which consists in treating an ore containing a plurality of metals with an oily liquid, water and with a silicate of an alkali metal to hinder the oiling of the particles of one or more of the metals-in such ore and sepa-. rating the oiled constituents from the unoiled constituents. I p

3. In the treatment of an ore the process which consists in treating an oxidized ore with an oil alkali met-a to aid the oiling of the metalliferous constituents of the ore and separating the oiled constituents from the unoiled constituents. Y

4. In the. treatment of an ore the process which consists in treating the ore and magnetite whilemixe with water, with an oily liquid in the presence of a silicate of an alkali metal and magnetically separating the mixture.

5. The process of treating an ore containing a plurality of metals, which consists in oiling the metalliferous particles of one of said metals by the aid ofa silicate of an alkali metal, separating the oiled metalliferous particles from the unoiled metalliferous particles, addin an acid, and afterward oiling the unoile metalliferous particles without the aid of a silicate andthen separating the remaining metalliferous particles from the gangue.

ALFRED ARTHUR LOCKWOOD.

Witnesses:

HAROLD HARRY ANDERSON, WILFRED OARPMAEL.

liquid and with a silicate of an i 

